This invention relates to a rigid housing or shelter module for providing individual or multiple living units or other enclosed useful space. More particularly, the invention relates to the particular skeleton structure of the module which, according to requirements, may subsequently be covered with skin faces or tiles and may be otherwise complemented with conventional fixtures to serve the intended purpose.
The use of three-dimensional modules as a means to prefabricate living units has long been used in building construction. These modules have been built of wood, metals, casting materials, such as concrete and, more recently, reinforced plastics.
In conventional wood and metal modules, the structure consists of a combination of ribs or joists to which the skin is eventually fastened. Concrete and plastic modules are, as a rule, formed as a continuous shell. The manipulation, transportation and erection of these modules is difficult and time consuming either because of their weight (as in the case of concrete) or because the general instability of the module skeleton results in a tendency to rack and in an overall lack of rigidity (particularly in the case of wood and metal modules). A principal reason for the lack of rigidity is the inferior stability particularly at the junction between the adjoining module walls.
With the exception of concrete modules in which sufficient strength can be built in, the modules normally require a supporting frame which embraces them before the final rigidizing connections (for example, with other adjacent modules in the building structure) are made. Concrete modules, on the other hand, while not needing such embracing frame supports, require elaborate connections which are both costly to make and bulky to use.
It is another common shortcoming encountered in the construction of conventional modules that electrical and mechanical systems can be integrated in the module structure only with difficulty. The reason is the lack of space--particularly the lack of a continuous space--within the skeleton forming the module or module walls.
Heretofore, prefabricated planar structural elements such as panels or trusses have not been used as components of rigid housing modules. The reason is seen in difficulties encountered both in the bracing of such planar structural elements in a direction perpendicular to the plane in which they carry the load and in ensuring the sufficient stability (fixity) at those locations of module walls which serve as connecting portions with adjacent module walls. Statically, these locations are the points of support for the module wall. Without such a stability (fixity) of the support locations, the module would be unstable. In conventional systems of planar structural elements, such as truss systems, extensive temporary bracing has been required until decks or skins, usually in combination with permanent bridging members, provide lateral bracing for stability. In these truss systems very seldom is stability (fixity) attained at the points of support.